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Kauffman Stadium
Experience
Kansas City, MO
- 9/3/2005
by: Anthony Lorenzo
After spending
two relaxing days in Minneapolis, Mike and I were prepared for the
"exciting" 450 mile drive to Kansas City, home of the world's second
largest collection of water fountains, Arthur Bryant’s Barbecue, the
Negro League Baseball Museum and the Kansas City Royals. With so
much to see in one day Mike and I really had to have our act
together. Fortunately our planning and the kindness of the people
of Kansas City made that one-day memorable.
A vital element
to the Ballpark Tour is sampling the local cuisine and since Kansas
City is the pronounced King of Barbecue what better city to have a
slab of ribs. Serving up the best BBQ in KC since the 1920's;
Arthur Bryant’s Barbecue is a Kansas City institution. Its' original
location, 1727 Brooklyn Ave, offers an authentic Kansas City
experience like no other. My slab of pork ribs was served on a tin
tray with a half-dozen slices of white bread on the side to soak up
any excess BBQ sauce. When dining at Arthur Bryant's throw all table
manners out the window and dig in to the finest BBQ in the country.
After polishing off the slab Mike and I were off to Kauffman
Stadium, Ballpark #23 was only hours away.
Royals Stadium
replaced the Royals original home, Municipal Stadium, before the
1973 season. It would take the Royals only 4 seasons in their new
home to reach the playoffs, winning the American League West in
1976. This would be the beginning of a Royal Dynasty. From 1976 to
1985 the Royals made the playoffs 7 times, culminating with their
1985 World Series win over the St. Louis Cardinals. A lot has
changed in the past 20 years. Royals Stadium was renamed Kauffman
Stadium in 1993 to honor Royals Founder Ewing Kauffman. Welcoming
fans to Kauffman Stadium is a statue in honor of Ewing and his wife
Muriel. This statue gave me the feeling I was visiting the
Kauffman’s home and in many ways I was.
Kauffman Stadium
was built ahead of its’ time. Its’ design moved away from the
multipurpose donut style stadium of the 1960’s and 70’s. Kauffman
Stadium was an open air Ballpark with a 322 ft. water fountain
stretching the length of the outfield wall. Above the water
spectacular beyond the centerfield fence, a twelve-story high
scoreboard tower stands in the shape of the Royals Crest, topped off
with a crown. Adorned with lights that illuminate the night like
crowned jewels, this scoreboard perfectly caps the design of the
outfield, and makes for one of the most recognizable and beautiful
backdrops in all of baseball. Most of Ballpark travelers like
myself would assume that a Ballpark built in 1973 would not stack up
against the modern Ballparks of today, but despite its’ age Kauffman
Stadium has a spot on my Top 10 list. A ballgame at Kauffman
provides a unique experience by combining the fun and excitement of
Little League with the amenities and professionalism of Major League
Baseball.
My pre-trip
research found information on the Royals Express Bus Service. The
Royals Express offers fans an affordable, $5, and fast travel option
to Kauffman Stadium. As a bonus passengers on the Royals Express
receive $5 off their game ticket and a site-seeing tour through
downtown Kansas City. The Royals were completing their second
consecutive 100 loss season when Mike and I came to town. A losing
ballclub can put a strain on its’ fans, the Royals have not drawn
2-million fans since 1991. I was hoping Buck Night (Hot Dogs, Soda,
and Peanuts were a $1) would bring out a good crowd to the 6:05
matchup between the Royals and Texas Rangers. The 18,932 in
attendance were treated to a well played game. The Royals fell
behind early after Adrian Gonzalez and David Dellucci home runs, but
rallied in the 9th to bring the winning run to the
plate. Royals’ rookie catcher Paul Phillips would send the fans
home unhappy after popping out to Michael Young to end the game,
Rangers 5 Royals 3.
Kansas City is a
place I would definitely visit again. Besides Kauffman Stadium and
Arthur Bryant’s, Kansas City is home of Country Club Plaza, an
upscale shopping and dining area, the World War I Memorial, Union
Station, the historic 18th and Vine Jazz District, and the Negro
League Baseball Museum. The Negro League Baseball Museum has been
the highlight of my travels throughout the country. I have always
admired the perseverance of Jackie Robinson, but what many fail to
acknowledge is the impact Negro Leaguers like Josh Gibson, Satchel
Paige, and Buck O’Neil had on the advancement of coloreds prior to
Jackie Robinson’s Major League debut in 1947. These men loved the
game of baseball so much they endured the all-night bus rides and
“Whites Only” hotels and restaurants. Negro Leaguers were not only
pioneers in the game of Baseball, but also this country. Their
strength in playing the game they loved inspires me to do the things
I love and stand up for what I believe in. Although this idea can
be difficult to carry out in the “corporate” world I live in; I hope
to remain true to it because few too many people do.
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